Tony Trapani Oyster Reef

Named after the late Bay St. Louis resident and legendary Hancock County chef and restaurant owner, Tony Trapani, the Trapani Oyster Reef was constructed with 17,658 limestone pods, or mounds, spaced four feet apart and stacked one to two feet high. The increased height and vertical configuration will add resilience to the reef, providing more area for oyster larva to colonize and giving growing oysters added protection against low oxygen and freshwater flooding events, such as the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway. 

TNC managed construction of the project thanks to support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, the Mississippi Tidelands Fund and the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund.

The limestone rock and recycled oyster shells comprising the Tony Trapani Oyster Reef will create a surface area for new oysters to attach and grow. Eventually, the reef will create sub-tidal oyster reefs that produce oyster brood stock for the Mississippi Sound. Because the reef is in an area that is closed to harvest, the hope is that this will allow oysters to grow undisturbed over time. The reef's height and complexity also creates a three-dimensional habitat that is expected to increase recreational fishing opportunities in the bay which is surrounded by five public boat launches.

The Tony Trapani Reef was constructed in Bay St. Louis, south of the Wolf River and outside of Bayou Portage. It is located a couple of miles offshore of the City of Pass Christian in Harrison County.